How many passengers did the Ferry carry in its first year?

Short answer

Around 92,000 passengers: according to the aviation magazine Flight, that is how many the two Airspeed Ferrys carried in their first season of operation alone. Sir Alan Cobham, Airspeed's director, wanted a compact multi-engined type for the "air experience" flights of his National Aviation Day displays.

Published: November 1, 2026 · Updated: November 1, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

How many passengers did the Ferry carry in its first year?

Lower Manhattan from Staten Island Ferry Jan 2006Diliff (CC BY), vía commons

Aircraft for "Aviation Days"

Sir Alan Cobham, the aviation pioneer and Airspeed director, wanted a compact, multi-engined airliner for the "air experience" flights of his National Aviation Day displays. The Ferry arrived with an unorthodox layout, notably the mounting of the third engine in the centre section of the upper wing, an arrangement adopted mainly to give the pilot better outward visibility. The first example, G-ABSI Youth of Britain II, made its maiden flight on 5 April 1932 with H. V. Warrall at the controls. Only four examples were built, at the company's works in York, in the early 1930s.

92,000 passengers in one season

According to the aviation magazine Flight, in their first season of operation alone the two aircraft carried around 92,000 passengers. The type achieved a particularly fast turnaround, of just 30 seconds, while refuelling took only a minute and a half.

From the Ferry to the Courier

The Courier, designed by A. H. Tiltman, was the first British aircraft with retractable landing gear to enter series production. Its prototype, G-ABXN, first flew on 10 April 1933, piloted by George Stainforth of the Royal Aircraft Establishment.